Specialist homelessness services annual report 2023–24

The characteristics of people with problematic drug and/or alcohol use as well as their service use patterns, and housing outcomes were different from the other client groups presented in this report. In 2023–24, SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use over the age of 10 were more likely to be male, present to agencies alone and be experiencing homelessness at first presentation compared with all SHS clients. They were also more likely to be returning clients and use support services to a greater extent.

For more information about people with problematic drug and/or alcohol use experiencing homelessness in Australia, and the policy and government response, please see Clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use.

Client characteristics

Figure SUB.1: Key demographics, SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use, 2023–24

Presenting unit and Living arrangements

Most clients (90% or 21,500) with problematic drug and/or alcohol use presented to services for assistance alone, higher than for all SHS clients (64%) (Supplementary tables CLIENTS.9 and CLIENTS.44). A further 7.1% (or around 1,700) of clients were single with one or more children, which was much lower than for all SHS clients (29%).

The living arrangements reported by SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use at the beginning of support were different from the overall SHS population and other client groups. In 2023–24:

• About 62% (or around 14,600) of clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were living alone at the beginning of SHS support, higher than the proportion for all SHS clients (34%) and other client groups, such as clients with disability (40%) and clients with a current mental health issue (50%) (Supplementary table CLIENTS.45).
• Fewer clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were living as one parent with child(ren) (11% or 2,700 compared with 34% of all SHS clients) (Supplementary tables CLIENTS.10 and CLIENTS.45).

Clients’ needs and main reason for assistance

Main reasons for seeking assistance

Few SHS clients (4.3%) with problematic drug and/or alcohol use reported substance use issues as the main reason for seeking SHS assistance.

More than 1 in 6 (18%) clients identified housing crisis as the main reason for seeking SHS services, and 1 in 7 (15%) identified inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (Supplementary table SUB.5)

For those experiencing homelessness the main reasons for seeking assistance among clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were (Supplementary table SUB.6):

• housing crisis (20% or 2,800 clients)
• inadequate or inappropriate dwelling conditions (20% or 2,700)
• family and domestic violence (10% or 1,400).

For those at risk of homelessness the main reasons for seeking assistance were (Supplementary table SUB.6):

• family and domestic violence (19% or 1,700 clients)
• housing crisis (14% or 1,300)
• transition from custodial arrangements (12% or 1,100).

Service use patterns

• In 2023–24, clients received a median of 111 days of support, up from 87 days in 2018-19, an average of 2.8 support periods per client, and a median of 43 nights of accommodation (Supplementary table CLIENTS.48).

Services needed and provided

Services provided to clients range from the direct provision of accommodation, such as a bed in a shelter, to more specialised services such as counselling and legal support. These services are generally either provided to the client directly by the agency or the client is referred to another SHS agency or specialised service.

In 2023–24, clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were more likely than all SHS clients and client groups to request services (Figure SUB.2, Supplementary tables SUB.2, CLIENTS.24).

•  short-term housing (61%, compared with 39%)
• mental health services (29%, compared with 8.1%)
• medium-term housing (49%, compared with 29%)
• living skills/personal development (36%, compared with 16%)

Figure SUB.2: Clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use, by services needed and provided, 2023–24

Housing situation and outcomes

Outcomes presented here highlight the changes in clients’ housing situation at the start and end of support. That is, the place they were residing before and after they were supported by a SHS agency. The information presented is limited only to clients who have stopped receiving support during the financial year, and who were no longer receiving ongoing support from a SHS agency. Information on client housing situations at the start of their first period of support during 2023–24 is compared with the end of their last period of support in 2023–24. As such, this information does not cover any changes to their housing situation during their support period.

While overall housing outcomes generally reflect trends towards more favourable housing, experiences of homelessness, particularly rough sleeping, were more common for clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use both at the start and end of SHS support compared with other client groups. Around 1,200 clients who began support rough sleeping were still rough sleeping at the end of support (Supplementary table SUB.3).

In 2023-24, SHS clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use were more likely than other clients to be rough sleeping at the start of support (20% compared with 12% of all clients) and at the end of support (14% compared with 8% of all clients) (Supplementary tables SUB.3 and CLIENTS.31). 

In 2023–24, of the approximately 8,500 clients with problematic drug and/or alcohol use who were known to be experiencing homelessness at the start of support (Figure SUB.3 and Supplementary table SUB.3):

• around 4,900 clients were homeless when support ended
• around 1,800 clients were in short-term accommodation and 1,600 clients were rough sleeping when support ended.

In 2023–24, of the approximately 6,000 clients who were known to be at risk of homelessness at the start of support:

• most clients maintained their housing situation when support ended; around 1,500 clients maintained public/community housing and around 1,300 clients maintained private housing.
• almost 1 in 5 clients (19%) were experiencing homelessness when support ended, a greater proportion than any other client group other than clients leaving care arrangements.

Figure SUB.3: Housing situation for clients with problematic drug or alcohol issues with closed support, 2023–24